God’s Word for You

Psalm 62:9-10 The First Commandment

by Pastor Timothy Smith on Wednesday, September 28, 2022

NIV 1984

9 Lowborn men are but a breath,
  the highborn are but a lie;
  if weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
  together they are only a breath.
10 Do not trust in extortion
  or take pride in stolen goods;
  though your riches increase,
  do not set your heart on them.

I haven’t offered my own translation here because there isn’t much I would change except in the beginning of verse 9, where the Hebrew is less exact. It says; “The sons of Adam are a breath, the sons of man are a lie / delusion.” Whether you take pride in your heritage or background, or not, whatever your status: A person’s station in life has no bearing at all on the condition of their soul. In Moses’ time, Pharaoh Thutmos III was from an ancient family, a high-born pedigree if ever there was one. He was the son of kings. But he refused to listen to God’s prophet. Before the Lord, he was nothing but a breath of wind, here once but now forgotten.

David warns about more than the arrogance of the rich and powerful. He is also warning about the arrogance and self-righteousness of the poor and needy. They, too, are “but a breath.” It is too easy to say, “I have nothing, therefore I deserve more,” and so on. A man who has nothing can be as much an unbeliever as a Pharaoh of Egypt. His sins may appear to have a different basis than those of a rich or powerful man, but this isn’t true. Mistrust, unbelief, come from the same place in the heart. The only difference our theologians describe is with regard to the Seventh Commandment: If a society fails to provide for the poor, the widow, the orphan, or the oppressed, they may feel tempted or even compelled to steal to stay alive. This is a failure of the nation far, far more than any kind of failure in the life of the poor. When Moses reviews the Seventh Commandment in Leviticus, he first reminds the nation to leave the edges of their fields unharvested and to leave some of the vineyard unpicked for the sake of the poor and for strangers. Only after saying this does he add: “Do not steal” (Leviticus 19:9-11). Our theologians urge leniency on the part of judges or others in authority regarding incidents of theft for the sake of staying alive. But of course, this is not a license to steal, but a judgment on the cold and cruel city where the poor have no help and where the residents have no compassion. A wealthy man who steals does it for other reasons, and should be punished much more severely. Also, it seems that for every ten dollars worth of food that is stolen by the needy, a hundred million is stolen by the wealthy. “A man who has riches without [faith] is like the beasts that perish” (Psalm 49:20).

A person’s possessions (whether from honest or dishonest means) also have no bearing at all on the condition of their soul, except that dishonest gain shows a sin that needs to be repented of. In his providence, God takes care of us and he gives us the things we need. If this doesn’t match up with all of the things we desire, we should look inwardly at the seat of that desire to discover what drove our want in the first place. But the things we truly need, at least for our physical welfare, are summarized for our children in the explanation to the Fourth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer:

“Daily bread includes everything that we need for our bodily welfare, such as food and drink, clothing and shoes, house and home, land and cattle, money and goods, a godly spouse, godly children, godly workers, godly and faithful leaders, good government, good weather, peace and order, health, a good name, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.”

All of these things really fall under the First Commandment. What is it to have a God? In the Large Catechism, Luther teaches that a god is whatever we look to for all good things, and whatever we turn or flee to in a time of need. The one we rely on with our whole heart is our god. It is common in our Bible studies and sermons to take time to explain what the ancients believed when they made sacrifices to Baal, Molech,  Dagon, Zeus, Hermes, and the other ancient beliefs in Bible times. But it is more important to uncover the false gods of our time, especially Opinion.

People elevate their opinions over, above, and beyond the word of God to such a degree that it overshadows all other concerns. In the previous century, the god was Reason, and anything unreasonable in the Bible was thought to be a mistake, or worthy to be ignored. Such unreasonable things were dismissed from the doctrines of many churches, and especially this included salvation through faith in Christ alone. Reason coupled with the American way said that, reasonably, salvation should be earned, every man for himself, with a little help (perhaps) from Christ.

With every passing month of this century, Reason is dying a death of slow starvation, and unreasoning Opinion is taking over as supreme. We must not think that this unreasonable idol can’t infect us and our way of thinking. We must throw ourselves into the pages of the Holy Scriptures with the Catechism as a guide book. We must listen to every little lesson God teaches us.

Our Uncle David has taken us up into his lap and set us on his old knee in verse 10, and he says in his raspy old war-torn voice that spent too many nights sleeping under the stars: “Though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.” David knew what it is to be without anything at all, pursued, oppressed, conspired against, naked, hungry, and afraid. Things are not to be trusted, because things can vanish in a moment. Fire, storm, disease, war, thieves, or other disasters can impoverish a person or a family in a moment. If you have possessions, don’t rely on them. Use them to God’s glory while you have them, but don’t think that you always will.

Trust in God alone: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Turn to him, expecting him to give you everything you need to live: your clothes, food, water, health, protection, peace; all your blessings for life on earth and life in heaven. Trust that God will protect you from evil, or that he will turn evil that happens into a good end (Romans 8:28). He sends his angels to watch over you, he sent your parents to conceive and raise you, and he has sent your present government to protect you in ways you may not even understand. Give him thanks and praise; pray to him before you eat anything and before you close your eyes in sleep. Walk with him always. Serve him with a clear conscience. Be useful to the church and to your fellow Christians,  and whenever you can, talk with them face to face.

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith

 

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